A Words for Kids

Below, you’ll find our list of A words for kids that can be adapted for vocabulary lessons. We’ve also provided some fun text ideas that you can use by copying and pasting into your lesson materials.

In this series, our alphabet friends, A through Z, become tourists in America’s cities. At each of their stops, letters dig into their supplies in order to learn a new word study skill or vocabulary term. 

A is certainly amazing! During A’s trip to Atlanta, A is excited to learn about different syllable features and patterns with the help of several word lists tucked away in A’s adventure bag. A is looking forward to exploring landmarks in Atlanta, visiting “a”-named animals at the zoo and aquarium, reviewing technology words that begin with “a”, and learning all about communication words that start with the letter “a”. Let’s journey to Georgia, the Peach State, for a full day of amazing sightseeing and reading adventures through the beautiful city of Atlanta! We hope you have a great day with A! 

Tip: Best educational practices related to word study include: read-alouds, discussion, and writing. It is important to build rich connections between readers and the vocabulary words they learn. For instance, discuss sample sentences and make other personal associations to bolster recall, decoding, and encoding. As always, remember that some words may require frontloading and framing depending on the learner’s age, background, and needs. Helpful reminders for readers: A vowel is a speech sound produced by letters a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y. A consonant is a speech sound produced by all of the other letters in the alphabet. 

CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) Words: A’s first stop in Atlanta is to learn all about CVC words while having breakfast at Centennial Olympic Park. A loves a good apple and apricot salad in the morning! Inside A’s adventure backpack is a list of CVC words. CVC words have a consonant, followed by a vowel, followed by another consonant. Examples of CVC words include “cat,” “sit,” and “fun.” Since “a” is a vowel, A wants to see how the letter “a” sounds when it is between two consonants in a consonant-vowel-consonant word. Let’s take a look!

bag	dad	jam	rag	tan
bat	fan	lap	ran	van
can	ham	mad	sad	wax
cat	hat	mat	sag	yak

Closed Syllables: A’s next journey is to learn about closed syllables during a visit to Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Library and Museum. What a sight! A president who had a library named after him must have been one who really valued language. Let’s explore A’s list of closed syllable words. When the vowel of a syllable is short, the syllable is closed off by one or more consonants. Examples of closed syllable words include “hat,” “pin,” and “dotted.” These types of words are important to learn because they are some of the most common words and eventually, many readers recognize these words by sight. Let’s learn with “A!” 

act	addition	always	apology	arch
active	after	an	app	art
ad	alphabet	and	apple	ask
add	also	ant	apt	ax

Open Syllables: While traveling around Atlanta, A finally arrives at the Children’s Museum where there’s plenty of open space to explore– and “open” is the focus! A’s next word list is all about open syllables. Open syllables have a vowel sound that is long and ends with a vowel. Because there is no consonant after the vowel in the syllable, the vowel is able to make the long sound, which sounds exactly like the name of the letter that makes the sound in that syllable. Examples of open syllable words include “no,” “me,” and “hi.” The “o” in “no” sounds just like how “o” is identified by name. The “i” in “hi” sounds just like how “i” is identified by name. Below is a list of words that begin with “a” and contain an open syllable. Keep in mind that the open syllable may appear at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the word. Can you help A find where the long vowel sound is? 

atypical	alligator	ape	area	attorney
acorn	also	apex	aroma	audio
acre	amigo	April	arrow	auto
ago	angel	apron	achy	avocado

Silent Vowel Pairs (or Teams): A continues exploring through this peachy city and the word “peach” brings A to a new adventure and word list! The “ea” in “peach” is called a silent vowel pair. Silent vowel pairs have two vowels together: one of them stays silent. Examples of silent vowel pair words include “boat,” “rain,” and “suit.” Even though the vowels are a pair or team, the first vowel to appear in the pair makes the sound. For example, in “boat” the vowel sounds like an “o” because “o” comes first in the vowel pair/ team. Below is a list of words that begin with “a” that have a silent vowel pair as well as words where the letter “a” controls the silent pair because it appears first in the syllable. “A” sees how bossy “a” can be when it appears first in a team. Let’s take a look!

air	afraid	pain	tail
ailment	brain	rain	train
aim	explain	spray	tray
airplane	main	straight	waist

R-Controlled Vowels: While roaming around Atlanta, A decides to have a little lunch at a restaurant. A looks at a new word list and notices that the letter “r” can be a bossy letter. R-controlled vowels happen when a vowel is controlled by the letter “r.” Examples of r-controlled vowels include “car,” “bird,” and “fern.” Inside A’s adventure bag is the following list:

actor	arcade	arithmetic	armor	arrow
after	arch	ark	army	art
anchor	arena	arm	aroma	article
anger	argue	armadillo	arrange	artist

Final Stable Syllables: As A makes its way to some final destinations in Atlanta, A sits under a shady tree in Piedmont Park while looking at a new word list. A is focusing on final stable syllables. Final stable syllables are found in the final (last or lattermost) position of words. These syllables contain the following endings: -ble, -cle, -dle, -fle, -gle, -kle, -ple, -sle, -tle, -zle, -tion, -sion, -ture, -cian, -cious, and -tious. They are called “stable” because the pronunciation of each is reliable and predictable (always the same). Below is a list of words– some words may be familiar or unfamiliar, but all show the pattern of final stable syllables. Let’s explore and learn with A.

able	adventure	angle	article	auction
action	affection	wrangle	aspiration	accusation
addition	amble	ankle	attention	accommodation
admission	ample	apple	attraction	aviation

“A” in Animals: What better place is there for A to learn about animals than the aquarium and the zoo? Luckily, Atlanta has BOTH! As A explores both places, A learns that animals can live on land, in the water, and sometimes in the air. They survive in hot and cold climates and are unique to one another. Here’s a whole list of animals that begin with the letter “a.” What word list will A’s adventure backpack bring next?

antelope	armadillo	arctic fox	alpaca	axolotl
alligator	aardvark	anaconda	anteater	aye-aye

“A” in Technology: As A explores Atlanta, A realizes that Atlanta is very connected to its history. From famous author Margaret Mitchell’s house to Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, this city prides itself in its past, but also looks ahead to the future! As the 21st century advances, it brings an entirely new set of vocabulary to learn. A is ready for the challenge of the next list about technology words. Understanding these words and how they’re used in our world can help people use and recognize them in multiple contexts.

app

adapter

audio

artificial intelligence

avatar

“A” in Communication: To end the day, A explores the lush surroundings of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. This brings A time to sit and reflect on another valuable list of words. Just like a flower that has to wait to bloom, good readers must practice patience. As people grow, it is important to build a rich vocabulary related to communication. Being able to express one’s emotions is an important part of interaction. Understanding these words and how they’re used in our world can help people use them in a greater context. Below are several words, including nouns, adjectives, and verbs that readers and communicators should become familiar with.

abandoned	adventurous	alarmed	angry	artistic
absent	afraid	ally	announce	ashamed
accepting	agree	amazed	annoyed	ability
achieve	aggravated	amazing	anxious	astonished
active	agitated	amused	applaud	awesome
adorable	agreeable	angelic	appreciative	awkward

We hope you found this list of letter A words for kids helpful!